The Delhi Police recently uncovered an organized racket involved in diverting and selling government-supplied medicines intended for free distribution in public hospitals. Five individuals were apprehended in connection with the case, and medicines valued at around Rs 70 lakh, along with two vehicles used for transportation, were seized. The operation was conducted by the NR-II team of the Crime Branch, with ACP Girish Kaushik overseeing and Inspector Neeraj Sharma leading the effort based on specific inputs from Sub-Inspector Pritam Chand.
The arrested individuals, Neerej Kumar (53), Sushil Kumar (47) from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and Laxman Mukhia (48) from Delhi, were intercepted near Rajendra Market in Tis Hazari while transporting a significant quantity of medicines in a Mahindra Champion tempo and a Baleno car. The medicines seized were clearly labeled “Government Supply Not For Sale,” indicating their unauthorized diversion into the open market.
During interrogation, Neerej Kumar revealed that he had been managing the illicit supply chain for the past one to one-and-a-half years, sourcing medicines through insiders and distributing them to various cities through brokers. Following his disclosure, two more individuals, Binesh Kumar (54), a pharmacist-cum-storekeeper, and Prakash Mehto (30), a contractual helper at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, were arrested for their involvement in the scheme.
The recovered stock included a substantial quantity of valuable antibiotics and critical care drugs like Cefixime, Amoxycillin with Clavulanate, Ceftriaxone, Ceftazidime, Meropenem, Erythropoietin injections, and Rabies Antiserum, among other essential medications. All confiscated medicines and vehicles have been taken as case property, and a legal case has been filed at the Crime Branch police station. Investigations are ongoing to identify additional associates, track financial transactions, and unravel the complete operation of the network.
